WK06: Suzuki GS450L

“Guys!! Is the Suzuki still for sale??” That’s the question we received a couple of months after we sold the Suzuki GS450L he was referring to.

So no, the bike he was looking for was long gone. But of course we can make something that looks alike. Not exactly the same, as each bike should have its own unique features, but something similar.

Rens, that’s the guy we’re talking about, was very particular on his wishes; the triangle underneath the seat should not be too open and he wanted vintage blue and yellow colors on the tank.

We found a perfect Suzuki. It required some on-the-spot maintenance to get her up and running again (old petrol and very dirty carbs), but the bike itself was in a perfect condition. No rust anywhere and hardly any mileage on the odo. A rare find in a country as wet as Holland!

We stripped it, cleaned it, chopped everything off that wasn’t required and powder coated everything that was left over. What a nice machine it is now! The Tarozzi pegs are placed to fit with the new seating and this definitely adds to the handling. Flat through the corners and more than enough power to have a race feeling!

The Japanese builders boost about their original design and the road handling features already. “Because the low placement of the handle bars and the rear set foot pegs, the rider is put into a racer position when cornering” (not our words). We replaced the original high handle bars with low tracker handle bars and placed the pegs higher and more to the rear, which makes it a completely different type of bike. The old chopper is transformed to a classic racing machine now, perfectly suitable for people with average height.

The sound of the bike is typical for the air-cooled, two cylinders, four stroke engine. You’ve got to love the sound!